At the end of a tennis season, rankings are more than numbers - they’re narratives. And the U.S. Open is often the plot twist. Since 2000, a stunning number of year-end No. 1s, 16 of 24 men and 15 of 24 women, were all but determined by who triumphed at Flushing Meadows. The reason? It’s simple timing and math: A Grand Slam win brings 2,000 points, which is an enormous haul when the season is nearly over, and Tour Finals qualification hangs in the balance.

For example, the 2024 Race to Turin snapshot showed the eighth place sitting around 3,305 points. So a 2,000-point win would be 2,000 ÷ 3,305 ≈ 0.6051, approximately 60.5% of that threshold. On the WTA side, the Race-to-Finals table recently showed the 8th spot near 3,751 points, meaning a slam victory would be 2,000 ÷ 3,751 ≈ 0.5332, approximately 53.3%, again, more than half. Those simple fractions explain why a week in New York can shortcut months of grinding on the calendar.

When New York writes careers

Angelique Kerber, 2016: The German entered the U.S. Open ranked No. 2 but snatched the title, beating Karolína Plíšková, and in doing so clinched the world No. 1 ranking when the new WTA standings dropped the following week. It was her second major of the year and a crowning moment in her breakout season.

Naomi Osaka, 2018: Few stories illustrate that better than Naomi Osaka’s breakout in 2018. At the start of 2017, she was ranked outside the top 50, still searching for consistency. But her U.S. Open triumph the following year changed everything overnight: the victory propelled her to world No. 7 by the end of the season and inside the top 15 almost instantly. One New York fortnight transformed her from a promising youngster into a global star with back-to-back Slam titles (she followed up with the 2019 Australian Open) and a new benchmark for rapid career ascent.

Coco Gauff, 2023: On the return from the Cincinnati Open, Gauff captured her first Grand Slam at Flushing Meadows, beating Aryna Sabalenka 2–6, 6–3, 6–2. That win catapulted her to a career-high world No. 3 starting the next Monday—a leap that heralded a new American star.

Daniil Medvedev, 2025: The 2021 champion suffered a dramatic first-round exit after a meltdown. He argued with the umpire, disrupted a match, smashed a racket—and ended a Grand Slam season with just one win. He incurred a $42,500 fine and swiftly parted ways with his longtime coach, Gilles Cervara. This shocking collapse derailed his season and ranking trajectory almost literally overnight.

More than just points at the US Open

Beyond the raw numbers, the U.S. Open’s position late in the calendar makes it pivotal. Points are ample, stakes are high, and media and sponsorship attention are intense. A stellar performance can vault a player into the Finals, spark partnerships, landing pages, and endorsement deals. On the flip side, a stumble in New York can undo a year’s worth of momentum in days.

Beyond the points, New York’s cultural clout multiplies the effect. The US Open’s recent facility investments (an $800m overhaul of Arthur Ashe announced in 2025), a lengthened calendar, and record prize pools mean a strong result is both financially and reputationally transformative — not just a ranking bump but a sponsorship and media moment. In 2025, the tournament’s total purse set a record, underscoring how much is at stake.

Now that the year’s last Grand Slam has come to an end, the race to the Tours intensifies. Will the stars who reigned supreme be able to take the momentum from New York to the Finals? Who knows!

Written by

Diptarko Paul

Edited by

Shrabana Sengupta